3 December

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, confessor, of the Society of
Jesus, who died on the 2d of this month.—In Judea, the holy prophet Sophonias.—At Rome, the holy
martyrs Claudius, tribune, and Hilaria, his wife, with
Jason and Maurus, their sons, and seventy soldiers.
By the command of the emperor Numerian, Claudius
was fastened to a large stone and precipitated into
the river; the soldiers and the sons of Claudius were
condemned to capital punishment. But blessed
Hilaria, after having buried the bodies of her sons,
and whilst praying at their tomb, was arrested by
the Pagans, and shortly after departed for heaven.
—At Tangier, in Morocco, St. Cassian, martyr. After
having been a recorder for a long time, at length,
through the inspiration of heaven, he deemed it an
execrable thing to contribute to the massacre of the
Christians, and therefore abandoned his office, and
making profession of Christianity, deserved to obtain the triumph of martyrdom.—Also, in Africa,
the holy martyrs Claudius, Crispinus, Magina, John,
and Stephen.—In Hungary, St. Agricola, martyr.
—At Nicomedia, the Saints Ambicus, Victor and Julius.—At Milan, St. Mirocles, bishop and confessor,
sometimes mentioned by St. Ambrose.—In England,
St. Birinus, first bishop of Dorchester.—At Coire, in
Switzerland, St. Lucius, king of the Britons, who
was the first of those kings who received the faith of
Christ, in the time of pope Eleutherius.—At Siena,
in Tuscany, St. Galganus, hermit.